This three year Injury Science REU Site program will engage students in fundamental research on the causes and consequences of injury in the young and translational research to apply this scientific foundation into evidence-based prevention products, programs, policy, and interventions. Training will draw upon the multi-disciplinary expertise of a NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center and an internationally recognized research organization, the Center for Injury Research and Prevention, housed within two pre-eminent education and research organizations, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania. REU students will not only gain sound research experience but also will learn about other fields of study, the value of interdisciplinary work, and the practical application of research results to real world prevention methods. Trainees will be recruited individually and then grouped into working pairs that will conduct research with a faculty mentor. Formal workshops, meetings, and field trips will provide specific training and broaden their research experience while working in pairs, living together, and participating in informal social events will provide students with a sense of community and create a strong cohort experience. Students will learn how to present research and will receive formal training on ethics, technical writing, and proposal preparation. Students will have a unique opportunity to apply for a grant for student-initiated research that the trainee will continue at their home institution.
This site will attract and train a cadre of talented young researchers to help to ensure the growth, innovation, and continuity of the field. The comprehensive training will prepare diverse, internationally-competitive, and globally-engaged leaders in science and engineering. Their research findings will inform interventions to reduce injuries and deaths in youth.
Injury is the leading cause of death and acquired disability for children, adolescents, and young adults. In response to these challenges the Injury Science REU at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Center for Injury Research and Prevention provided a diverse group of undergraduate students with opportunities to study the complex factors leading to child injury through immersion in an interdisciplinary research center. With mentoring from a well-established team of highly trained, and established child-focused researchers, REU students conducted research to build the scientific foundation for injury interventions, translate the interventions into practical solutions, and evaluate the success of these solutions to reduce injuries and deaths in young people. Through a ten week summer internship between 2011 – 2013, twenty-five students from twenty-one colleges and universities played a key role in moving several programs of research forward: including quantifying the movement, position, and posture of actual children in naturalistic automotive environments thereby providing a quality data set upon which to measure the biofidelity of current and future pediatric crash test dummy designs; evaluation of in-vehicle monitoring systems to determine ease of installation, cost, acceptability, ability to log data, and ability to track behaviors teen driving behaviors; developing new Center guidelines using a new systematic approach for dissemination and analysis of web-based interventions; applying new methods to characterize data by implementing engineering tools and principles to analyze data and build mathematical models; translational research to develop & evaluate aggression and bullying prevention programs for urban youth; and investigating traumatic stress in children and parents after pediatric injury and other medical events. Over the three years, the Injury Science REU site conducted fundamental research on the causes and consequences of injury in youth and translational research to apply this scientific foundation to evidence-based prevention products, programs, policy, and interventions. Specific REU site program evaluation methods included student surveys, focus groups, anonymous feedback forms, and essays describing achievements. These methods showed a successful program with evidence of progress toward long and short-term measurable goals with REU graduates meeting or exceeding all of the established goals. During the internship REU students gained sound research experience, learned how to integrate knowledge from other fields of study into their individual specialty, and apply research results to real world solutions for prevention. The partnership between mentors, students, and project teams resulted in REU students making valuable contributions to the research and learning core research skills. Key outcomes and achievements include 8 REU students involved in writing 13 publications; eight students presented their work at 21 conferences and professional meetings. Graduates are also meeting the goal to pursue advanced degrees. Since 2011 six graduates were accepted into medical school, and three others plan to apply to medical school. In addition, one student was awarded a 2014 Fulbright Scholarship where she is earning a master’s degree in Epidemiology in Brazil. One student is currently in a PhD program and another is preparing to apply. Two other REU graduates have completed master’s degrees, while three others are currently in Master degree programs, one in engineering, one in psychology, and the third public health. Twenty-four of Twenty-five REU students are pursuing research and/or STEM careers.
